Pittsburgh Penguins veteran defenceman Marcus Pettersson has been playing decently well since returning from injury in early January. Pettersson has been playing mostly alongside either Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang this season. So, just how has it translated into success for the Pens D-man?
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Just How Well Has Penguins Marcus Pettersson Been Playing this Season
Before Pettersson was injured, he has been playing decently well this season. In 43 games this season, he has 17 points. He is on pace to break his career high in points of 30 which came last season. However, one knock to Pettersson’s game offensively is he is turning the puck over at an alarming rate this season as he has 58 takeaways. His 58 takeaways are already a career high, and there’s still over 30 games left to play.
Defensively, Pettersson has been alright as he has 76 blocked shots and 50 hits this season. To go along with his physicality, he has 21 takeaways which is also on pace to break his career high of 26 which happened last season as well. However, to Pettersson’s standards, this is an awful season for him. Last season, from a defensive standpoint, he was easily the Penguins best defenceman as he had career best’s in the following categories goals, assists, points, shots, ice time, average ice time per game, blocked shots, hits, and takeaways.
Pettersson is a pending free agent at the end of this season. He is currently making just over four million dollars with the Penguins. If he wants a raise with the Penguins or elsewhere, he needs to step up his game and soon.
A Slow Start is Okay
It was a slow start indeed for Pettersson as in his first game back, he had just one blocked shot and no hits in the loss against the Red Wings. However, since that game, he has slowly but surely playing better. In the overtime loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, he played over 23 and a half minutes logging a hit and two blocked shots.
In the shootout loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pettersson did not register any solo statistics, however, he seemed to be getting back into a groove as his defense and positioning were much better. However, Thursday nights win against the Edmonton Oilers was one of Pettersson’s best games of the season. Pettersson played just over 25 minutes that game which is his second highest total on the season. In addition, he also had two assists, and five blocked shots. The Penguins are getting hot at the right time to potentially get back in the playoffs and Pettersson will be a crucial part in that happening if he is still on the team.
Putting Good Games Together But Not Consistent Enough
Another solid game from Pettersson occurred against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even though the Penguins lost, he had an assist as well as four hits and three blocked shots.
However, his last two games have been one he would like to forget. In the win against the Buffalo Sabres and the loss Saturday night against the Washington Capitals he did not play well.
It is well-known that the Penguins are actively shopping him as it looks like another season without a postseason appearance. Trading him would evidently would save salary cap and help the Penguins continue to get younger. With the trade deadline approaching, it will be unknown how much longer Pettersson will be in a Penguins uniform. However, for the time being he and the Penguins need to play some solid hockey and start winning consistently.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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